Numenera: Ninth World Bestiary

162 Pages·2014·15.92 MB·English

by  Monte Cook Games

TTHHEE NNIINNTTHH WWOORRLLDD
BBEESSTTIIAARRYY
BBYY MMOONNTTEE CCOOOOKK && BBRRUUCCEE CCOORRDDEELLLL

TTHHEE NNIINNTTHH WWOORRLLDD
BBEESSTTIIAARRYY
CREDITS
Writers/Designers Monte Cook and Bruce Cordell
Additional Writing Shanna Germain
Lead Editor Shanna Germain
Editor and Proofreader Ray Vallese
Lead Artist Kieran Yanner
Graphic Designer Sarah Robinson
Artists
Chrom, Dreamstime.com, Jason Engle, Guido Kuip, Eric Lofgren, Patrick McEvoy, Jeremy
McHugh, Brynn Metheny, Michael Perry, Roberto Pitturru, Scott Purdy, Lee Smith, Matt Stawicki,
Michael Startzman, Keith Thompson, Cory Trego-Erdner, Shane Tyree, Kieran Yanner
Monte Cook Games Editorial Board Scott C. Bourgeois, David Wilson Brown, Eric Coates, Ryan
Klemm, Jeremy Land, Laura Wilkinson, George Ziets
Kickstarter Creature Contributors Chris Avellone, Leslie Balazs, Clint Barkely, Henk Birkholz,
Cameron Corniuk, Steven Dengler, Daniel Knoop, Mike Loftus
© 2014 Monte Cook Games, LLC
NUMENERA and its logo are trademarks of Monte Cook Games, LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries. All Monte Cook Games
characters and character names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof, are trademarks of Monte Cook Games, LLC. Printed in Canada.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION: CREATURE FEATURE 4
DESIGNING NUMENERA CREATURES 5
ECOLOGY OF THE NINTH WORLD 11
CREATURES OF THE NINTH WORLD 16
Understanding the Listings 16
Random Encounter Tables 18
Creatures 20
Characters 139
People of Renown 142
CREATURE INDEX 159
INTRODUCTION: CREATURE FEATURE
W
hen I was a kid, there was a show on the local TV channel on Saturday afternoons called “Creature Double Feature.”
It played old black-and-white science fiction and horror movies. That might have been the beginning of my
fascination with monsters. Or you know, maybe it was that red-haired thing that wore white sneakers and chased
Bugs Bunny around. (Its name was Gossamer, by the way.) Or the monsters on Sesame Street.
Regardless, I’ve been a fan of monsters and creatures for as long as I can remember. Which means that, of all the kinds of RPG
books out there, the ones filled with creatures are my favorites: bestiaries. And there are a lot of them. I’ve written a few, in fact.
That means, of course, that I spent a lot of time thinking about how this bestiary would be different. I thought of a lot of
ideas, but they were all very gimmicky. Finally, I realized that it was a waste of brainpower. Why? Because Numenera takes
care of it for me. Numenera is weird. Numenera creatures are one of the best ways—if not the best way—to characterize and
personify that weirdness in one single thing.
I knew that The Ninth World Bestiary would be different and great if we just stayed true to that ideal. If we focused on the
weird and took it even farther than we did in the corebook, we would have an amazing bestiary.
I’m proud and happy to say that I think we pulled it off.
In these pages you’ll find the jurulisk, a creature from another reality where geometry works differently. You’ll find the silver
orphans, left over from an ancient aeon, their original reason to exist now long gone. You’ll also find the Nibovian companion
and Nibovian child, each more horrific and weird than the Nibovian wife. (Who are these Nibovians, anyway?) And of course,
there’s the latos, which is a creature, a location, and an entire adventure in one package. And that’s just the beginning.
We referenced a lot of source material while creating this bestiary. A small sampling of these sources includes:
All Yesterdays, John Conway
Cabinet of Natural Curiosities, Albertus Seba
Codex Seraphinianus, Luigi Serafini
Frankenstein’s Cat, Emily Anthes
Future Evolution, Peter Ward
The Future Is Wild, Dougal Dixon
Man After Man, Dougal Dixon
The New Dinosaurs, Dougal Dixon

4
DESIGNING NUMENERA CREATURES
D
esigning creatures for Numenera is
intentionally very easy. At its most basic, COREBOOK CALLOUTS
a creature—like any NPC—is just a level. Throughout this supplement, you’ll see page references
That tells you all you need, and then you just layer to various items accompanied by this symbol. These are
in the description. That’s kind of the amazing page references to the Numenera corebook, where you can
thing. You can describe a terrible slavering beast find additional details about that item, place, creature or concept. It
with three clawed limbs, a mouth like a sphincter, isn’t necessary to look up the referenced items in the corebook; it’s
and some kind of blue jelly covering its flesh, but an optional way to learn more about the Ninth World and provide
“behind the screen” (so to speak) all you have is additional information to your players.
“level 5.”
The key, as with everything in Numenera, is
making it weird. A standard bear or wolf isn’t
really going to cut it in this setting. But a twisted limited in what they can do in an action because
thing with a bearlike head, a four-legged frame their form, size, and nature can vary so wildly.
like a wolf (oh, make it six legs), a magnetic-
LEVEL
resonating metal plate where its eyes should be,
and an extraneous sac of poison to spray? Now A creature’s level is a measure of its power,
you’ve got a Numenera creature. defense, intelligence, speed, and ability to interact
The Numenera corebook gives a brief with the world around it. Generally, it is an
discussion on designing new creatures in Chapter indicator of toughness in combat, although it’s Designing creatures,
page 339
21 (page 339). Basically, all a Numenera GM really certainly possible to have a lower-level creature
needs to know is that creatures can work however be a tougher opponent than a slightly higher one,
you want them to. But for those who would like particularly in certain circumstances. Level isn’t
more details, suggestions, guidelines, and food an abstract tool to match up NPCs to PCs for
for thought, this chapter is for you. “appropriate” encounters. Instead, it’s an overall
Creatures, of course, don’t follow the same rating of the creature to show how it fits into the
rules as the player characters. They don’t have context of the world. There is no rule that says a
stat Pools, don’t use Effort, and aren’t as strictly certain ability should be given only to a creature of
5
“The largest and most impressive specimen I was ever able to fully dissect was a cragworm. Obtaining that
specimen was a task that gives me nightmares to this day.”
~Jarash, well-known naturalist
a certain level, and there is no rule dictating how being an exception. So when determining a level,
Cragworm, page 236 many abilities a creature of a given level should figure out an appropriate rating (on a scale of 1 to
have. But keep the spirit of the system in mind: 10) for the creature for most things. Don’t base
lower-level creatures are less dangerous. its level on the one thing it does best because you
Obviously, a creature’s level is its most can portray that as a modification. Level is the
important feature. For some creatures, it is the baseline.
only feature. If you know only the level, you have
everything you need. Level determines how hard
HEALTH
it is to hit, how hard it is to dodge or resist,
how much damage it does, and even its health Since creatures don’t have stat Pools, you have
(typically its level times three). It tells you how to determine how much damage they can take,
hard it is to interact with, fool, or intimidate, and and that’s health. Health should make sense.
how well it can run, climb, and so on. It even tells Really big creatures should have lots of health,
you how fast it acts in terms of initiative. and tiny ones should have very little. You can
Of course, you’re free to modify any of this as also “cheat” a bit and give a creature that is really
fits the creature, either for what you want it to do good in combat more health than its physicality
in an encounter or—even better—to try to ensure might suggest to represent the fact that it is no
that it makes sense in terms of its place in the pushover and not easily defeated.
story and in the world. A really big creature should Although there are many, many variables, it’s
have more health but be easier to hit in combat, safe to think—as a baseline—that a group of four
for example. low-tier PCs is likely to dish out about 10 points of
But in general, level becomes the default stat damage in a round. This figure assumes a nano
for the creature, with pretty much everything else with Onslaught, a glaive and a jack with medium
6
DESIGNING NUMENERA CREATURES
weapons, and a glaive with a heavy weapon. The You can compare the determinations you made
nano deals 4 points of damage, the first glaive 5 about the creature’s health as a useful gauge to
points (medium weapon and the pierce fighting figure out how much damage a creature will deal
move), the jack 4 points, and the second glaive to the PCs in an encounter. Again, if you figure 50
7 points (heavy weapon and pierce). That’s a percent accuracy, the creature will deal its damage
total of 20 points, and we can assume that they every other round. So if a creature has enough
hit their target with a bit better than 50 percent health to last three rounds, on average, it will deal
accuracy if they are fighting a level 3 or 4 foe and its damage twice.
using Effort. This very rough estimate tells you Creatures that make more than one attack on
that a creature with a health of 11 or less will be their turn potentially deal their damage with each
wiped out in a single round (Armor figures hugely attack, which can greatly affect damage output.
While figuring out a
into this, however, so see below). A creature with
creature’s Armor is an
a health of 12 to 22 will last for two rounds. A issue involving game
ARMOR
creature with a health of 23 to 33 will last three. mechanics, it should
And so on. Armor doesn’t depend on level. The default is no also reflect the nature
For PCs who are third or fourth tier, you can Armor. of the creature. Thus, a
beast with a somewhat
add about 6 points to the average damage figure, Armor represents a suit of physical armor,
thick hide might have
based on using Effort to increase damage. At fifth thick skin, metal plating, scales, carapace, mental
1 or perhaps 2 points of
and sixth tiers, you can figure that the PCs will wards, or any other type of similar protection. armor. A mechanical
deal about 20 to 25 points of damage each round. Armor does not represent other things that creature, made mostly
Again, these are rough estimates based on might make a creature hard to damage, such as of metal, should have at
least 3 points of Armor.
averages. They don’t figure in high dice rolls, intangibility (that’s represented in other ways).
Some creatures might
using lots of Effort, cyphers, artifacts, or GM Armor greatly influences how long a creature
have a natural carapace
intrusions. They’re useful as a rule of thumb to can last in a combat encounter. The Armor rating
that gives them 4 or
determine how hard or easy you want the fight reduces the damage the creature suffers each more points of Armor.
to be. A single-round fight is kind of a pushover. round per character. So take our four characters
Two to four rounds is interesting. Going five or six mentioned above, who inflict 4, 5, 4, and 7 points Generally, larger
creatures have thicker
rounds is a tough fight. Combat encounters that of damage, respectively. Give their foe 3 points of
hides or outer shells
go on longer than that can start to drag unless Armor, and now they inflict 1, 2, 1, and 4 points.
and so will have higher
the creature is really interesting or the encounter On an average round, they’ll inflict a total of Armor. Creatures with
offers something unique (for example, it occurs 4 points of damage, and that creature with 11 some type of energy field
on a precipice over a river of toxic sludge, and the health will last three rounds, not one. (Of course, or numenera-generated
PCs have to protect a sickly NPC while dealing against such a foe, smart PCs will use Effort to shields could have very
high Armor. There is
with their foes). increase their damage.)
no maximum amount
In other words, creature health is the knob to Don’t give every creature Armor, though. If
of Armor, but keep in
adjust when determining how long you want a everything has 2 points of Armor, then all attacks mind that 6 is a very
combat encounter to last. just deal 2 fewer points of damage, and that’s not high Armor rating and
terribly interesting. Sometimes a creature with 10 points of armor is
going to make a creature
lots of health and no Armor can be an interesting
DAMAGE almost invincible.
encounter, too.
It’s important to remember that damage is based
on the creature’s level, not other factors. So a
MOVEMENT
level 6 creature that picks up a broadsword still
inflicts 6 points of damage, not 4 points. You can Other than Armor, the only thing that level
adjust the damage to fit the creature’s attack, doesn’t tell you is how fast a creature moves.
but the level should always be the baseline. A However, unless there’s a really good reason to
massive, strong creature will deal more damage do otherwise, just assume that it has a move of
than its level might suggest, and a creature with short. This means that the creature moves like a
particularly large claws or a powerful bite might PC—it moves a short distance as an action.
do so as well. A particularly skillful combatant will Typically, flying creatures move a long distance
deal more damage, too. Only very rarely should a in the air and a short distance (or less) on the
creature deal less damage than its level. ground.
Remember that more PCs have Armor than Creatures with a long movement are usually
don’t, so it’s difficult (but not impossible) to large beings with a big stride. Small creatures can
make creatures that deal only 1 or 2 points of be very quick, but that doesn’t mean they move a
damage a challenge to the characters. long distance in a single round.
7
MODIFICATIONS OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Health, damage, and almost everything else in Those are all the main “headers” in the creature
the creature’s entry provide a chance to mention format, but there are other things to think about.
exceptions to the default assumptions based on Creature Size: Consider creature size very
the creature’s level. Modifications are a catch-all carefully. For those that are quick and hard to
of other exceptions. Basically, these are all tasks hit, increase the difficulty to attack them by one
that the creature performs at something other step. Large, slow creatures should be easier to
than its normal level. hit, so decrease the difficulty to attack them by
A level 2 tree-dwelling beast might be level 4 one step.
For a complete when it comes to climbing. A level 3 creature with Multiple Attacks: No matter how big and tough
explanation of the a heightened sense of smell and good hearing is it is, it’s difficult for a single creature to hold its
rules and a detailed
probably level 4 or 5 when it comes to perception. own against a group of foes like the PCs. Giving
description of terms like
Tiny, quiet creatures are usually a level or two a creature multiple attacks as a single action—so
Effort, Armor, cypher
and stat Pools, please higher than their creature level at stealth. that it can attack some or all of the characters
see the Numenera Not all modifications are positive. If you make a at once—goes a long way toward making it a
corebook, Chapter 8: huge creature that is little more than a beast, you suitable foe for a group of opponents.
Rules of the Game
might want to make it a lower level for things like However, creatures with multiple attacks that
(page 84).
resisting trickery. A big, lumbering brute would likely appear in groups can simply be annoying, as
be worse at stealth than its level would suggest. the combat encounter will take quite a while to
A stupid creature might be terrible at perception. resolve (with lots of defense rolls to be made).
Modifications that modify creatures down are just as Ignoring Armor: Attacks that ignore Armor are
interesting as those that modify up. interesting because they really scare players. Such
Don’t bother considering modifications in too attacks might be from intense heat, out-of-phase
much detail. Only think about things that will come tentacles, or something so sharp that it cuts right
up at the table. Figuring out how good a creature through whatever the PC is wearing.
is at basket weaving or how much it knows about Use your discretion, however. For example,
tidal pools probably isn’t worth the effort unless if Armor comes from a force field, a fiery blast
“Differences in pack those elements play directly into your encounter. seems less likely to ignore it. And use this kind
behavior, something I’m of thing sparingly because if everything ignores
tempted to call cultural
Armor, Armor loses its meaning.
differences—have been COMBAT
Poison and Disease: A level 1 creature could
reported among vapes,
Combat is simply where we note what the be poisonous, but its venom should inflict a few
slurgen, slicer beetles, and
many other creatures that creature does in a fight, how it reacts to combat, points of damage at most. The venom of a level
most think of as mere and—most importantly—any special combat- 6 creature, on the other hand, might knock a PC
animals. In my travels, I related abilities it might have. There are no down a step on the damage track or put him into
have learned to keep an
hard-and-fast rules here. In fact, it’s very much a coma if he fails a Might defense roll.
open mind when it comes
the opposite. This is the place where you note Other Special Abilities: A Numenera creature
to what so-called simple
creatures can accomplish how the creature makes its own rules. Multiple can have almost any kind of power or ability you
and achieve. Sometimes, I agtacks in a single action? Fine. Poison? Good. want to dream up. Basically, it comes down to
wonder what they think of Mental powers? Interesting. If you’re making what kind of roll the player makes—an Intellect
us.” ~Jarash, well-known a creature for your own use, just make simple defense roll to ward off a weird mind attack,
naturalist
notes for how you want a combat encounter to a Speed defense roll to dodge a barrage of
play out, so that it fits the role you want it to spikes, a Might defense roll to resist a cellular
fit in the grander scheme. Use (or create) the disintegration, or perhaps something else. The
mechanics to best replicate what you want the difficulty of the roll and the damage dealt by
creature to do, not the other way around. the attack is based primarily on the level of the
creature, although this can be modified if it seems
MOTIVE, ENVIRONMENT, appropriate.
Maybe there’s no roll involved. The creature
INTERACTION, USE, LOOT
just walks through the wall, teleports, or melts
The bestiary provides these entries for creatures, the metal object it holds in its clutches. Although
but for a GM’s home-brewed creature, they some of these abilities can give a creature a
probably aren’t necessary. After all, you created tactical advantage in a combat encounter, they’re
the creature, so you know how to use it and where just as often there to make it more interesting.
it’s found, and you probably have a good idea of This means that level is probably more
how the PCs can interact with it. important than any particular ability when it
8